Melissa had a shock cancer diagnosis and had to cancel her cruise – she feels no ill-will for not getting a refund

• The tragic story of an Adelaide couple that her cruise cancelled due to the return of cancer generated much debate. Should cruise lines offer refunds for compassionate reasons?
• Melissa Mayntz is another cruiser who experienced this situation with Carnival Cruises, but she writes that she isn’t unhappy that Carnival didn’t offer her a refund.
• Popular Carnival brand ambassador John Heald says he hears frequent tales of customers that experience this.

Last week Cruise Passenger discussed the story of Adelaide couple Penn and Alex, who were unfortunately unable to get a refund on their cruise, which they had to cancel due to the return of Alex’s cancer. 

While many cruisers expressed that they felt this was unfair, not all cruisers think the same. 

Writing for Cruise Hive, Melissa Mayntz expresses how she was actually in the same situation, after a shock cancer diagnosis, she had her travel plans with Carnival Cruises thrown into disarray. 

Unlike Penn and Alex, she didn’t have travel insurance, meaning that even though her cancer wasn’t a recurring condition, she was unable to get her cruise deposit back.

However, Mayntz personally feels no anger towards the cruise line and believes she was treated fairly.

She explains the situation: “This happened to me, in fact. Excited about Carnival Venezia coming to Port Canaveral for the very first time, my husband and I eagerly booked her first departure (December 18, 2024) when the reservations opened in May 2023.

“Fast forward to July 2024 – 14 months after we booked the cruise – and I was diagnosed with lung cancer at the age of 47.

“As a non-smoker who grew up in a non-smoking household and has never worked around toxic fumes or chemicals, the diagnosis was, to say the least, a bitter shock.”

Mayntz says despite losing “every penny” of her deposit, she felt no ill-will towards the cruise line.

“Fortunately, we were able to cancel just days before our final payment due date. Because of that timing, we only lost our deposit, but we did lose every penny of it, despite rebooking Carnival Venezia for a 2025 sailing.

“Was that financial hit yet another blow at an already difficult time? Absolutely. Should Carnival Cruise Line have granted us an exception and fully refunded our deposit even though we chose not to have travel insurance? Absolutely not.

“Any cruise line – Carnival or otherwise – should not be expected to make exceptions for unexpected hardships. Cancellation and refund policies and penalties are clearly posted, and all guests agree to them when they book their vacation.

“Is it frustrating when vacation plans change? Of course. But, dealing with that frustration is the guest’s responsibility, not the cruise line’s. Purchasing travel insurance can make a challenging situation just a little less frustrating in the future.”

Mayntz offers a different perspective, not expecting a compassionate hand beyond the stated terms and conditions.

Carnival Brand Ambassador John Heald weighed in on the issue, noting that he receives notes of devastating customer stories almost everyday. 

“I know everybody has a budget, I understand that and I respect that, but hear me out.

“One of the saddest, most gut-wrenching parts of my job is when people write to me that they’ve been ill, they’ve lost a loved one, or been involved in some sort of an emergency situation at home and they’ve had to cancel their cruise.”

Heald says although he emphasises, the best thing people can do is simply purchase travel insurance.

“They ask me, they beg me to help them reclaim their money, because, well, they didn’t take insurance.
“Nevertheless, it really does tug at the heartstrings. I hope I’m not out of place to say to everyone, please, if you can purchase travel insurance, please do so. You of course, like most people, it’s human to say it will never happen to me – until it does.”